Customer Reviews

Double Identity

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Double Identity, also known as Fake Identity, is yet another dull addition to a string of straight to video movies by Val Kilmer. The film takes elements from North By Northwest, a mistaken identity film by Alfred Hitchcock. It's equal parts smooth British spies, expressionless Eastern Europeans, and cutthroat diamond merchants.

Val Kilmer is uninspiring as a hapless American doctor in Bulgaria that ultimately travels to Prague to evade his assailants. The movie's cover is misleading, as it portrays Kilmer as something of a spy or action hero. Helping him along the way is the lovely secret agent played by Polish actress Izabella Miko (Athena in Clash of the Titans).

The direction and cinematography are both decent, but the acting and writing both are sub-par. The film lacks an original story, and just isn't suspenseful. I wouldn't suggest even renting this movie, as it will only remind you of how hard Kilmer has fallen off since the 80's and 90's.

Think of this movie as 90 minutes of your life you'll never get back again. The whole movie is spun around a tale of mistaken identity. Val's character miraculously and seamlessly goes from being a family physician to a secret agent he has been mistaken for. Instantly Val knows how to disarm somebody with his bare hands, shoot a gun with perfect accuracy, and talk himself out of any situation.

In a nutshell: the script is dreadful, the plot is absurd, the budget is a shoestring, and the acting flounders. You'd be better off with a 007 movie.

Where to start... The movie centers around a case of mistaken identity. A very out of shape (and quite possible intoxicated) Val Kilmer plays the lead, a doctor mistaken for a spy. Miraculously Kilmer somehow becomes Jason Borne in the process. There are double and triple agents involved, none of which are properly introduced. The viewer has no idea who is working for who (and not in a good way). The plot lacks any sense of direction and the acting is simply terrible. Set in 1992, all the characters use cell phones and drive cars from the mid 2000s. It is impossible to follow and the viewer has literally no idea what is happening throughout the movie. I wouldn't recommend this movie even out of a RedBox. Instead, save yourself a dollar and 90 minutes of your life.

This film absolutely had no direction - almost as if it was made up as it went along. The viewer is then stuck trying to follow a plot which then all of a sudden changes for no reason. I agree with the other two reviews - horrible film and Val Kilmer adds nothing to it. This film was just as bad as The Ministers which starred John Leguizamo - and that film was one of the worst in recent history.

I've always liked Val Kilmer's work and thought "any movie he's in must be good." Well, good grief, this flick sucked big time. It was impossible to recognized a plot line and even fizzled at the end. Unfortunately, I bought this movie and now wish I had only wasted my money renting it. Sorry, Val! Is you're career really in the tank? I sure hope not!

Double Identity has some redeeming value if just for the scenes in and around Sofia, Bulgaria. A doctor who is with Doctors Beyond Borders (a take off of Doctors Without Borders) gets accidentally caught up in international intrigue dealing with an international smuggling ring.

What I like about the movie is you have no idea who is trying to save him. You get the hint that Izabella Miko's character is spying at the beginning of the flick, so no spoiler here. Yet, whom is she spying for? The action is much more calculating than a spy thriller. I think the title could have been more of mistaken identity. Even though he shows he is a doctor, his accusers will not let him be. There is definately a North by Northwest type of theme here, yet, it is not as exciting, with a much more deliberate tempo. There are some scenes where there is a bit of time, driving, walking, looking in windows, I actually did a minimum fast forward through these getting the gist and making sure not to miss the dialog. Hence, the movie dragged less.

I think there is a lot of potential with this movie. The character actors playing the various roles portrayed a verys serious side of things, I guess international organized crime is more like that than what you may find in a more entertaining film.

The DVD itself needed at least one extra where they told you why they made the film. That and a little more tempo, would have added to the more stayed role that Val Kilmer plays in Double Identity.

Other than the beautiful Izabella Miko (who plays Katrine), this movie is unwatchable. In an attempt to make this boring story a thriller, director and co-writer Dennis Dimster gives the audience as much information as to what is going on as the protagonist (Dr. Nicholas Pinter, played by the bloated Val Kilmer). Essentially, Dr. Pinter is misidentified as John Charter, a character who is not credited. The film consists of Val Kilmer being made to run (which is unintentionally funny) or be delivered to a series of random scenes. It's disorienting for the audience, because most of the other characters have some idea of their roles, but Kilmer's character is clueless.

Because this movie is so poor, and there's nothing really much to say about it, I am going to blame Kilmer's long greasy hair and beard for how dumb this movie is. If your bearded, greasy-haired mug is in every newspaper, and you want to escape detection, perhaps the "doctor" would have thought to, I don't know, have a shave and wash and cut his hair. It could have made for a believable moment in this otherwise imploded mess.

Who told the fat, slow Kilmer he would be perfect for the role? Why would a beautiful spy fall in love with this dude? If you don't want to take drugs to help you fall asleep, just watch this movie ...

I'm totally picturing Kilmer in his boxer shorts eating pork rinds in his trailer between takes ...

The storyline is thin and confusing. Kilmer turns in a decent performance but the overall movie isn't worth the time it takes to watch it. It's sad to see a great actor like Val Kilmer reduced to such sub-par b-movies.

Was a little too deep in my opinion. Maybe I'm too old for this type of movie. The acting was good though.